Issues and Papers » 2016 Conference Papers

2016 Conference Papers

The Phoenix Issues are reiterated here from 2016. Following each of the issues are current papers accepted by The Naples Roundtable and posted to stimulate discussion and debate. The papers posted here represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Naples Roundtable, its officers and directors, its Advisory Board members, or any other participant in Naples Roundtable activities. It is the responsibility of the authors to note on the first page whether any paper was prepared on behalf of a client or third person or organization.

Phoenix Issue I. To what extent is the Patent System served by judicially extending denial of patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 beyond the concept of obviousness as enacted in 35 U.S.C. § 103? What subject matter lacks patent-eligibility that is not already denied patentability under §§ 102, 103, 112? How broadly should the § 101 eligibility standard be applied; e.g., in the biotech area, for medical diagnostics, and for all machines controlled by any computer program?

Phoenix Issue II. Has the Patent System been well served by judicial pronouncements of patent preemption? (Cf. Bilski, Mayo, Alice denying patent-eligibility on the basis of “preemption” of the basic building blocks of science.) Should patents preempt experimentation on, and not with, the patented invention? (Deuterium Corp. v. U.S., 21 Cl. Ct. 132). Should the “all elements” rule that excludes infringement of a combination claim obviate the “preemption” concern where an otherwise ineligible element is paired in a combination claim that together provides an “inventive” (nonobvious) advance?

Phoenix Issue III. Is innovation well served by the limitation on international patent exhaustion reflected in the result in Jazz Photo? (Cf. Lexmark on the way to the Supreme Court.) To what extent do notions of copyright exhaustion shed light on issues of patent exhaustion?

Phoenix Issue IV. What policies should the USPTO adopt to streamline and expedite prosecution; e.g., placing limits on RCEs, creating greater certainty in making actions final, and resurrecting the doctrine of undue multiplicity?